Shout out to whoever it was that broke The Weeknd’s heart this time around. 

 

A not-so-young-anymore Abel seems to have found his old groove with the emotionally downtrodden and hyper-suggestive six-track EP aptly titled, My Dear Melancholy. There’s a certain amount of nostalgia that comes with it, not just for lovers past and blurry memories of one-night stands, but for the R&B artist who, through his struggles with the limelight and a plethora of forces pulling him in all directions, has lost touch with himself over the past several years and past couple projects. 

 

Whether or not it was heartbreak that brought The Weeknd to this place of lyrical, creative, and emotional righteousness is an unnecessary tidbit of knowledge. The key is that he seems to have unearthed the traits – aside from his angelic vocal delivery which has never gone by the wayside – that once made him so special not just to music, but to many individuals going through something of their own. 

 

Even through some questionable experimentation and more pop-driven explorations, he has remained one of the most talented vocalists alive. And though many of us longtime fans respect and understand his deviations from what brought him success in the first place in lieu of further fame, his voice alone isn’t what we ever truly loved about him.

 

What we loved about him is present in My Dear Meloncholy. A sadness, an angst, and a voice of the sexually-driven but socially and romantically-doomed that for whatever reason, seems to speak to at least a small part of all of us. He has the unfortunate position of being at his creative best when he seems the lowest in his personal life, and though that’s an unfortunate and unfair position for an artist to find themselves in, it’s true with The Weeknd. 

 

The EP runs something like 21 well-connected minutes, so we’re not going to tell you that any songs are particular standouts. It’s a phenomenal project that gives us hope that Abel may return to claim his position at the head of the stacked Rhythm & Blues dinner table, but if nothing else, quenches the thirst of us fans who have long been nostalgic for The Weeknd of yesteryear.